


Good For Morale

by tocasia



Series: Our Shining Past [50]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: AU, Bugs, Cute, Fluff, Gen, Geraniums, Hero Worship, Memories, Reading Aloud, Sephiroth and Zack friendship, Silly, Sleep talking, always looking out for your friends, interdepartmental rivalry, manufactured in a facility that also processes office pranks and bad puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 03:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15133961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tocasia/pseuds/tocasia
Summary: Loyalty and trust between them had already been built in adversity, but by the time Wutai ended, 'war buddies' didn't quite cover it anymore.Zack remembers his initial impressions of the General and their early days in an office setting.(1. memory, gateway) for Seph&Zack Friendship 100 Themes





	Good For Morale

**Author's Note:**

> This is the 50th story in this series. I've reached the halfway point on my ambitious 100 Themes quest. It's taken a year to get this far. I'm totally nuts. Please tell me I'm awesome. Thank you for reading, and for all the reviews, comments, and kudos I've received. I hope you enjoy the rest, too.

He'd seen him on tv.

Zack was old enough to know he shouldn't blindly trust in advertising. But this dream aligned so perfectly with his goal....

His parents said, "Zack, there are other ways to be a hero."

That was wrong. There was only one way that he wanted. He wanted to be like Sephiroth.

* * *

When Zack got to Midgar, he was relieved it wasn't a lie. Shinra would be his future.

It became commonplace to see his idol.

The General wore black all the time but never looked uncomfortable in it.

He drew your gaze in a way that made you think everything else around him was less real.

He shoved a hand in front of paparazzi cameras when he walked through the city, but those were the only shots he cared to block. Where President Shinra's car was always securely guarded, General Sephiroth traveled conspicuously alone. Was he really that invincible? He clearly thought so, and you found yourself agreeing with what he supposedly thought.

Some of Zack's friends had got it bad; the hero worship.

You knew it wasn't a traffic report helicopter if you saw that flash of silver.

In the halls of HQ, the General got annoyed if you slowed down to gawk or salute him too much. He did not tolerate stammering awe to his face. He had a glare that silenced it. His eyes were beautiful, no really, they were! and they _glowed!_ You did not linger, because maybe it was safer if he didn't know your name.

On the practice field, he was the perfection they aspired to. No matter how lofty their expectations, he always lived up to them.

They never actually saw him _fight_ anything. But barely anyone commented. Internalized rationalization was forged into belief. It was as if nothing would ever oppose him, even in training.

You couldn't imagine him yelling like a drill sergeant. He somehow had to be more refined.

On the stage giving speeches, he inspired. There was no greater truth than anything General Sephiroth said. He said they were brave, and valuable, and worked hard for their cause, and one day they would be tested, life and death, they were needed... and _he knew they would succeed_.

The time came when they saw less of him. Tensions with Wutai were rising. Bombastic news headlines didn't seem as radical, though the message hadn't changed. Recruitment grew fiercer.

The war started, and they didn't see him anymore. He was on the radio occasionally. What did he say? Oh, just some drivel written for him to say for morale. They noticed that he sounded tired sometimes. And they wanted to help him.

Zack was shipped to Wutai as soon as he made Third Class.

* * *

Things were different after the war.

It was easy to forget, after spending so long with him, how awe-inspiring the Great General Sephiroth was for other people.

Okay, that was a lie. He was terrifying.

But they hadn't seen Seph use his godlike dexterity to cut paper snowflakes.

* * *

Sephiroth was a person. Not a very _nice_ person, but....

Zack had been there, too. He'd made decisions that couldn't be swayed by niceness; that couldn't exactly be regretted, because they'd been practical, and necessary, and correct, because his troops were mostly alive at the end.

Sephiroth's boots were _always_ clean. This hadn't been among Zack's top concerns in Wutai, but several rainy days of supervising formation drills together had made him suspicious.

"How come your boots don't get dirty?" Zack had said, squelching along in his. Sephiroth wasn't stepping any differently than he was.

The answer included one of those oh-so-superior-possibly-joking smirks that over the years had become reassuring. "What? You mean reality doesn't rewrite itself to suit _your_ wishes?"

Not usually. But it was a rhetorical question.

Adjusting to the business casual environment in Headquarters was difficult.

On Tuesday, Zack accidentally failed at protocol and entered Seph's office without announcing himself at the door. He remembered being mortified at the transgression.

The General had black socks. He was kneeling on the newspaper-covered floor polishing his boots, putting a great deal of effort into shining the silver accents. He noticed Zack right away. Yikes. But... was that a _blush?_ Witness the Great General Sephiroth, working to maintain his image like everyone else.

That _Sephiroth_ could look embarrassed was a revelation. Zack had done the sensible thing and fled.

A couple weeks later they'd laughed about it.

* * *

The General had chosen an office coffee machine, and the overqualified-but-helpful Lieutenant General Zack Fair SOLDIER First Class had finished setting it up.

It was a _nice_ office. Wooden furniture stained dark, designed to intimidate with elegant formality. Walls tastefully spangled with awards and, uh, sundry expensive accoutrements. But Zack didn't see any personal touches anywhere. Except the sword rack where Masamune was resting.

"So what do you do?" Zack said, more aloud than he intended.

There was the smirk again, and a deadpan recitation of what might be an accurate job description. "I am very good at killing people and ordering others to kill people and threatening to kill people so that people don't have to be killed."

"That's... true, but it's not what I'd call good for morale. I meant for fun."

"I like to read."

* * *

Once, when their schedules had permitted them to meet in the fancy upper level cafeteria....

"It's not stealing, it's requisitioning," Sephiroth said.

"Oh hey, I can do that, too."

Now they just put the appetizers in the center of the table.

* * *

"It has come to my attention that your apartment is being fumigated for..." Sephiroth glanced at the page, bemused, "...Bizarre Bugs, Chrysales, Frozen Nails, Slaps, Jayjujaymes, Kelzmelzers, Kyuvilduns, and Grashtrikes."

"Uh, yessir."

"Explain."

"I put a bucket of whitewash above Reno's door, sir."

"Resourceful, in this day and age." Huh? No obvious disapproval?

"At least, that's what the mix was supposed to be. But it hardened like cement, and Reno got stuck for hours, and he was pretty pissed, so...." Zack cringed.

"Yes?"

"...he bugged my apartment, sir."

Sephiroth snorted. Honest-to-Gaea lost it for a second. Amazing.

"I see. If you need somewhere to stay..."

Whoa, what?

"...you can take refuge at my place, although, I haven't quite settled in. There's a couch and a tv. On one condition: the offer is top secret. I don't want anyone getting any ideas."

Brave as hell, Zack waggled his eyebrows.

"Stop that."

"Yessir."

"You can drop by any time after 2200 hours." 

* * *

"Help yourself to anything in the kitchen." Sephiroth returned to whatever he'd been working on.

Zack stayed where he was. He didn't know why. They'd shared space on the battlefield, where privacy was a foreign concept unaffordable even to the elite. But....

"What are you waiting for? I'm not going to trust you _less_ because the war's over. This is a standard issue Shinra apartment that happens to be mine. You're welcome here. Make yourself at home."

It wasn't standard issue at all. There was a balcony. "Thank you sir."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes.

"Er, thanks Seph."

"Better."

Zack poured a glass of water and sat down across from Sephiroth.

There was a combo cassette player/radio on the kitchen table. A sleek-featured civilian model. The protective plastic film on the buttons hadn't been removed.

"So, what'cha doin'?"

"'Foreshadowing and Modernity in Beachplug Vivisection: Tools for Visualizing Materia Replication in the Bourgeoisie'."

"What?"

"Proofreading."

"Hojo makes you do that?"

"Actually I volunteered. And it's none of your business."

"Yessir."

Zack swiveled his chair to observe the rest of the room. A black leather armchair to match the couch, but it wasn't facing the tv at a good angle. A pristine and never-opened channel guide lounging on a tinted glass coffee table. In front of the shelves huddled a herd of crinkled paper grocery bags distended by books. There was a fancy 5-disc cd player, but no cd's except a promotional copy of Loveless, which was still shrink-wrapped, in a forlorn corner of the media cabinet. And a totally normal empty sword rack. Which maybe should've given him pause.

"You work too hard, Seph."

"What's your point?"

Zack was careful to sound optimistic instead of scolding. "It's not life or death anymore. You can take time to appreciate your cool stuff."

"Of course I can. I will when it pleases me. Why are you..." Sephiroth scrutinized his expression with unnerving precision, a talent that was probably the source of those mind-reading rumors. What he learned seemed to surprise him, and he spoke more gently. "Oh. You're worried about me. You're being brave. Just like when...."

"Yeah."

"Alright. I'll take it easy tonight."

"Is it okay if we watch tv?" Zack asked, victorious.

"The remote's on the coffee table." Seph was smiling as he slid the Professor's manuscript into its manilla folder.

* * *

"You don't get the chocobo racing channel?"

"No. Should I?"

"It's the best thing ever made."

"I'll have it tomorrow."

"Sweet."

* * *

"Have you got any blankets? It's _freezing_ in here." Zack was shivering.

"I like it."

"It's colder than the Great Glacier at night in winter when the sun has given up on it."

In an act of supreme kindness, Sephiroth went to the thermostat and turned the dial up.

* * *

Zack took first watch, because Sephiroth fell asleep on his own couch.

He felt on edge, like he was intruding, but that was silly. He'd been told to relax. They were in HQ. It was safe here. Safe. Sephiroth obviously thought so. Maybe he should leave a note and go get a hotel somewhere....

And abandon his post? No way!

There were a couple bookshelves against the wall, only partially stocked. A lower shelf temporarily lacked a bookend, and the line of books fanned to the side. Zack pushed them upright to read the titles.

_The Fate of the Paper Bird_

_Mythology: Fanfiction of the Ancients_

Something from the Shinra library; it had a yellowed barcode on the spine.

_A Comprehensive Treatise on..._

Sephiroth murmured in his sleep, "Mother, tell me another one where I'm God. I like those."

Zack whistled. "Damn Seph. I knew you were arrogant but that's ...special. I should've guessed."

Oops, he'd been too loud. Sephiroth woke up. "What did I say?"

"You wanted another bedtime story."

Sephiroth groaned.

The absurdity of the situation hit Zack full force. He decided to roll with it.

"Let's see..." he grabbed a book at random...

_How to Kitten Proof Your Home_

...Okay, sure. "How about one with kittens? And a plot?"

And then he read General Sephiroth a book about kittens. You would not do that unless you were _certain_ you were friends.

They agreed that it should be required reading, which meant they were too tired to be making decisions.

"You will never speak of this."

"No problem."

* * *

"Seph, why do you have fake geraniums on your balcony?"

"...personal."

"Oh."

"No, it's alright, you can know. Unlike everything else in my life, probably both of our lives at this point, fake geraniums have absolutely _nothing_ to do with war."

"...I think I should get some, too."

Sephiroth wrote down the address of the craft store for Zack. 


End file.
